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Solution to using traveler under load??

2K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  paulk 
#1 ·
I am seeking an alternative solution for the travelers on our 36 ft. Magellan. The boat is a classic design, which comes with 1-1/4" S/S track and bronze hand moved fittings, which aren''t the best when sailing shorthanded. Harken has kits, however the requirement for two makes this a very expensive solution... We are open to suggestion.

Further food for thought: S/S rather flat traveler car with timkin bearings?

Thoughts?

Shaman
 
#2 ·
Check out Garhauer travelers at www.garhauer.com. Click on catalog. Their gear tends to be lots cheaper than Harken (but also heavier and lower tech.) Garhauer supplies original equipment to lots of manufacturers and makes quality gear -- good buy for the money if weight isn''t paramount to you.
 
#3 ·
Older boats used to have a bar for a traveler. The lower sheet block was attached to a ring around the bar. The ring had lines attached to it that allowed the sheet block to be moved to port or stbd. I sailed on a boat with this set up and it worked smoothly. I think it would be cheaper to make something like that from a stainless rod and some fittings.
 
#4 ·
I checked with "Guido" at Garhaur.com and they have nothing, short of drilling and threading the old S/S 1-1/4" rail and mounting a new system. $400.ea {the split rig needs 2} plus the rail,line,etc. What would you think about fabricating {have a son pretty good with a torch} a flat traveler car from S/S flat stock with timkin bearings? My question would have to be how to mount the "tiny" timkins to carry the car under the load of a 300 sq ft. or so main and mizzen. Any further ideas?

Thanks for your first idea. Give it some thought for me.....

Shaman
 
#5 ·
checked with "Guido" at Garhaur.com and they have nothing, short of drilling and threading the old S/S 1-1/4" rail and mounting a new system. $400.ea {the split rig needs 2} plus the rail,line,etc. What would you think about fabricating {have a son pretty good with a torch} a flat traveler car from S/S flat stock with timkin bearings? My question would have to be how to mount the "tiny" timkins to carry the car under the load of a 300 sq ft. or so main and mizzen. Any further ideas?

Thanks for your first idea. Give it some thought for me.....

Shaman
 
#6 ·
I went thru all the agony of making your very same decision. After getting quotes thru Sailnet and Garhauer, decided on Harken Heavy Track curved to contour of my cabin top. Their equipment is much sleeker, and the cost was only a little more. I did make and have welded specific SS bases(Thru bolted to deck) to clear my hatch, but the installation is very pleasing, and works with Harken smmothness. I love Garhauer, but I agree with others, their traveler equipment is bulky and heavy.
 
#8 ·
We used a ss pipe for the self-tending jib on our Soling - which we campaigned in Long Island Sound and as far as Lake Erie - for about six years before finally buying a used ball-bearing traveler. The pipe worked fine, though the ball bearings were better. My father went to a scrap metal yard and secured a length of 2" ss pipe, which he had them bend a little. (It might actually have worked better without bending it, though the idea in the Soling was to be able to maintain the same jibsheet tension and play with the slot width using the traveler. Solings are VERY close-winded, tacking through 70 degrees in some conditions.) He then drilled two holes for what must have been 3/4" ss bolts through the pipe and through the deck where we wanted the pipe mounted. I made some blocks to support the pipe about 4" off the deck and to spread the bolts'' load on the deck a bit. The blocks were also drilled. You could make them out of some scraps of oak or teak - a bit nicer than the 2x4 I used. A ss ring larger than the pipe was slipped over it, and the pieces assembled. A line attatched to the bottom of the ring regulated the amount of travel. The jibsheet was led from the clew through a block shackled to the top of the ring, and then to a turning block on deck near the tack, and then aft. We got some amazed stares from people we beat, but it worked.
You may want something a little beefier for your boat, but for what it costs compared to the "off the shelf" systems, you could afford to experiment with several sizes and perhaps still have enough left over to buy a new jib, too. too.
 
#9 ·
P.S.:
If you don''t want to drill more holes in the deck, you could weld a ss pipe to cars on the existing track, and go from there. You could experiment by lashing (firmly!) the pipe to the cars, and using blocks and lines you already have on hand. A few feet of SS pipe should cost less than $25.00, don''t you think? A galvanized ring for experimenting shouldn''t be more than $4, though a ss one might be pricey. Rigging it this way would spread the load of the jib over two cars, instead of the sole one in the current setup, but would put quite a load on the welds. Seems worth trying if you''re unhappy with the way it is now.
 
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